Sword Art Online: A Maiden's Voyage
by The 11 Tailed Vegetable
Summary: An average teenage girl gets sucked into the fast-paced, violent world of Aincrad, and follows Kirito, but does she have any hope, even with the aid of the Black Swordsman?
1. Chapter 1

Sword Art Online: A Maiden's Voyage

L.T: Hi Hi, it's time for a new story! I'm doing an SAO epic! Get ready to read my take on this awesome series!

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"Uh?" I looked down at the package on my doorstep. I'd only just moved to Japan on a study trip, and hadn't sent my address to any of my friends. I barely knew anyone here, so I had no idea who could have sent this to me, but, my name was definitely on the label. I picked it up and brought it inside, plonking it on the table. Tentatively, I opened the box, expecting…. Well, anything but what I actually found. "A copy of a game? It looks like I can use it on Xbox! Sword Art Online, hmm? Looks cool!"

Picking the box up, I headed into the living room, turning on my console and sliding the new game into it. I checked the cardboard box for an instruction manual, but found a helmet of some kind. A label on its crown said that it must not be removed during play. A USB connector dangled from a long cable, so I sat down and plugged it in, loading the game with a button and got a shock. I was floating!

A box hovered in front of me, asking for a login. I gulped, and then reached out, tracing my name in the box. A 'ping!' sounded, then the box changed to say, "Name accepted! Choose your avatar!" a long list of little pictures scrolled past me, all bright and vivid, waving at me, just like they'd been waiting for me. I looked at each one, then settled on a girl who looked just like me, her cropped silver-blonde hair ruffling in a non-existent breeze. I reached out, and she did as well. The moment our fingers touched, everything blurred, and a blinding whit light engulfed us, with my name booming in my ears. "COLLETTE!"

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"Uh… That… REALLY… Hurt…" I mumbled, sitting up. Looking around, I could see… "Oh my ever-loving tits! Where the hell am I?! What am I doing here? WHO am I?!" a shadow fell over me, and a tall boy with spiky black hair leaned over me. "A new player? Welcome to Aincrad, the world within SAO. I'm Kirito, and this sorry excuse is Klein!" he pointed at a redhead with a scruffy chin-beard, currently rubbing his back. I stood up, brushing off my mid-thigh skirt. Bowing slightly, I replied in fluent Japanese, "I'm Collette, and, yes, I'm new here. What do I do?"

Kirito started, and then grinned. "Well, first, you need a weapon. You got anything in your bag?" I looked around, then sweat-dropped. "Um… bag?" he sighed, and then told me, "Open your bag by reaching out and thinking, 'Bag!' You try!" I reached out, then thought about bags as hard as I could. A holographic display scrolled down, and I selected the Bag icon by touching it. A single item was in it. "Um… a Blade of Iron?" I touched the icon again, and felt a weight on my hip. Closing the menu, I looked down and saw a small, leather sheathe, a short sword handle hanging out. Drawing the weapon, I felt its heft, the glinting blade heavy in my hands.

Kirito clapped his hands. "Great, you just equipped your first item, now, let's teach you how to use it!" he took me through my paces, seemingly surprised when I began to pick up the basics faster than I thought, even for a new gamer. A few hours later, I sighed, wiping my forehead. "Phew… I'm beat. How did I do?" Kirito looked at me, then smiled. "You got to level seven in a couple hours, good job!" Klein rubbed his tummy. "Man, I'm beat too, and I'd better log out, I ordered a pizza for 6 o'clock!" He started dancing awkwardly, shouting, "Escape! Exit! Log out!" after a second, a loud, "BONNNNGGGG…. BONNNNGGGG… BONNNNGGGGG!" Rang out, filling the world, and a yellow light filled the air, Kirito shouting, "Mass Teleport?!"

A second later, we stood in a plaza, in a place called the Town of Beginnings. A rip appeared in the sky, and what looked like blood poured out of it, forming a hooded robed figure, who told us that his name was Kayaba Akihisa, and that we could no longer log out, and that if we tried, we'd die, as well as if the helmets were removed, we'd die. The only way to leave was to complete each floor by beating the Boss Monster, all the way to Floor 100. He also gave us all a mirror, which I looked into. Everyone started screaming, as their avatars looked like their real-world faces and bodies.

Kirito got shorter and girlier, and I gasped. He was… hot! Definitely a guy, but a really hot guy!

He took my arm, and tried to convince Klein to come, but Klein said he would stay with some friends, and waved as Kirito led me away, rushing to level us up and get us better equipment before the good stuff was gone. Following him, I thought about how I felt about this whole thing. I was scared that I'd die, sure, but, I was stuck here, so I might as well go out fighting, kicking and screaming. I knew next-to-nothing about this world, or why Kayaba Akihisa was doing this.

Kirito was kind, but a bit stiff and inflexible, but he was good at this game, so I felt I could trust him better than anyone else, seeing as if he was going to leave me on my own, he wouldn't be training me up to look after myself. With that logic on my mind, I ran after my new friend Kirito, my gleaming short sword out and a fierce, free joy singing in my beating heart. If now was to be my last moment, I would meet it… Head ON!


	2. Chapter 2

Sword Art Online: A Maiden's Voyage

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'_It's been one month since I teamed up with Kirito, and I've taken to calling him 'Master Kirito', in order to embarrass him, and it usually works, heehee! I traded some items, to get some of the money in Aincrad, it's called 'Col', and I bought myself a book, quill pen, and several Ink(s), so now I can keep a journal about what happens, and if I die, I want Kirito to give it to someone who needs it. That way, I can help them, even though I'm no longer there. In only one month, 2,000 players have died, but no-one has found the Floor Boss yet._

_I have a good feeling about today…Oh, gotta go, we're having a meeting, to discuss strategy and how we get out of here!'_

I put my book into my bag, the Ink vanished, having been used up, and I stored my pen too. I had a new weapon, just a steel broadsword, but it was better than my old iron short sword. Kirito was waiting for me. Catching up, we headed for the abandoned amphitheatre, where a few other players were sitting on the raised seats, with a tough-looking guy with dark turquoise hair standing on the stage. He clapped his hands together, and shouted, "OKAY, now that everyone's here, we can get this meeting started!"

Kirito and I sat quite high up, watching. The guy on the stage said, "Anyway, I'd like to thank all of you for coming. Good to see you. My name is Diabel, and in this game, the Job I rolled is Knight!" he pounded his fist against his breastplate. Everyone started laughing as another player called, "Dude, there's no Job system in this game!" as the laughter died, Diabel's face took on a grim cast, and he said, "Right, here's the deal. Our party found the Boss room at the top of the Tower today." Everyone started muttering in shock, until Diabel shouted, "First, we need to defeat the Boss, and make it to Floor 2! Next, we need to tell everyone in the Town of Beginnings that it IS possible to beat this game!"

After a pause, everyone started clapping and whistling, and Diabel grinned. "Okay, first, I want everyone to team up, in parties of six!" I noticed Kirito looked a bit ill at the thought. Only I had teamed up with him, and it had taken him a few days to get used to that. Diabel went on how no normal party would stand a chance against a Floor Boss, and, while Kirito panicked, everyone got into teams, with only this girl player in a long, dark red cloak, hooded, sat unmoving.

Kirito shuffled over, with me close behind, and asked, "You got left out too?" she didn't even look at him, as she said, "Not even. It just seems like everyone's already friends…" Kirito said, "Well, why don't you and us team up? You heard what Diabel said, and it would only be for this fight." She just silently nodded, and Kirito opened the Menu, selecting Options, then Party, then Invite To Party. The girl touched the 'Accept' option, and her name appeared under mine and Kirito's. Asuna.

As Diabel shouted, "well it looks like everyone's teamed up-" a loud voice butted in, "HOLD up a sec!" a stranger bounded down the seats, skidding lightly as he landed on the stage. Jabbing a thumb at himself, he grunted, "My name's Kibaou, ya got that? Before we take on the Boss, I wanna get something off my chest!"

He shouted, "You all know about the 2,000 people who've died so far, yeah? Well some of you need to apologise to 'em right now!" He pointed into the audience, and Diabel stepped up. "Kibaou… I think I know who you're referring to. You mean the ones who are ex-Beta Testers, right?"

Kibaou exploded, "COURSE I MEAN THEM! They ditched all us beginners the day this stupid-ass game started! They snagged all the good hunting spots, AND all the easy quests, too! They were the only ones getting stronger! We should make them apologise! We should make them hand out their money! AND the items they got! How can we trust them when they don't trust US?!"

I sneaked a peek at Kirito, and saw that he was shaking, fists clenched on his knees. Just as he seemed about to snap, a huge black guy stood up. "Hey… can I say something?" he strolled down to the stage. "The name's Agil. Kibaou, right? I wanna make sure I'm one the same page. You say the Ex-Beta Testers should be blamed for the rookie's deaths, and you want 'em to give out their winnings. Did I leave anything out?" Kibaou growled. "No, you didn't."

Agil pulled a small, leather-bound book out and held it up. "The Item store hands these out for free. It's a guidebook. You got one?" the angry Kibaou snapped, "Sure I got one! What about it?!" Agil stayed calm, and replied, "You know who was handing these out? The ex-Beta Testers!"

Kibaou muttered, then flounced over and hurled himself into a seat as Agil sat down near him. Diabel pulled out his own book. "Okay, can we get back to the meeting now? Anyway, check the Guide for info on the Boss. Apparently, the Boss's name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. Also, he'll be surrounded by his minions, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels. Illfang carries an axe, and a buckler. He has four health bars, and when the last one turns red, he switches to a curved, sword-type weapon, called a tulwar. He can change his patterns of attack, too!"

He closed the book. "Money will be shared equally between everyone! The party that defeats the Boss, gets the Exp.! And anyone who gets an item, gets to keep it! Any objections?" no-one said anything, and Diabel waved his hand. "Okay then! We leave tomorrow, at ten in the morning. Meeting adjourned, people!"

Later that night, everyone stood around, drinking wine from goblets, and my master and I wandered the streets, looking for the girl, Asuna. She'd up and vanished the moment the meeting ended, and Kirito wanted to speak to her. We found her, sitting on a flowerbed wall, eating a small loaf of bread. He walked up, and said, "Those are pretty good, huh? Mind if we sit down?" she made no move, so Kirito and I sat next to her. She immediately shuffled further away, and asked, "You really think these taste good?" Kirito nodded, and placed a small clay jar on the wall between him and Asuna.

"Try it with some of that!" he said, and she reached out, tapping the lid as Kirito did the same. A corona of light glowed around her index finger, and she swiped it over the bread, a trail of golden cream coating where she touched. "Cream?"

She rapidly devoured the loaf, and sighed. I left them to talk, and went for a drink, smiling as Diabel and Kibaou started a drinking contest, grinning at each other.

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Next morning, we all made it up to the door of the Boss room. Diabel gave a short, rousing speech, and then pushed the doors open. A long hallway spread out before us, and, at the end, in a huge throne, sat a monster. He was huge, with short, rabbit like ears, dark red fur covering his body, and a curtain loincloth. A shield as big as me and an axe that could sink a ship sat on either side of his chair as he opened glowing red eyes. As the first party entered the room, light bloomed, and he leapt up, coming down ten metres from his chair. Three of his armoured minions, with back-jointed lizard legs and heavy maces, spawned around him. Diabel pointed his broadsword at Illfang and his minions as they charged, and bellowed, "ATTACK!" Kibaou was in the lead, his sword glowing yellow as he brought it down on the first Ruin Kobold Sentinel's mace handle.

Kirito, Asuna and I were Squad F, and were tasked with fighting the minions along with Squads D and E, while Diabel ordered the others to attack Illfang. Asuna was good, even though she was a novice. Kirito would knock the Sentinel's weapons up, and Asuna charged, her rapier stabbing in, the tip moving too fast to see as it gleamed in a green light. As I blocked a Sentinel's mace, Kirito finished it. We turned, as Illfang started snarling.

His fourth health bar was red. He hurled his buckler and axe away, and Diabel ran forwards, taking up a guarding position two metres away, his sword flaring, surrounded by a thick haze of lightning. Illfang drew a huge sword, that even I knew wasn't a tulwar. Kirito gasped. "That's not a tulwar! That's a nodachi! The Guidebook was wrong!" before anyone could react, Illfang leapt into the ceiling, bouncing off the pillars, making tracking him impossible. Diabel stopped his charge, trying to follow the Boss' moves, but, too late. Illfang dropped from on high, hurling Diabel back, unarmed, a huge cut opening from his left shoulder down to the right side of his stomach.

As Diabel flew back, roaring in pain, the Kobold Lord bounded over, howling into Kibaou's face as my master rushed to Diabel's side. I joined them, watching in horror as Diabel's health bar emptied. Master pulled out a potion, trying to pour it into Diabel's mouth, but…. Diabel stopped him, pushing the bottle back. "You knew…. You were a Beta Tester, too… weren't you?" Kirito realised. "You were after the Last Attack Bonus, weren't you? The rare Item… you're just like me, a Beta Tester!"

Diabel's face contorted in pain, as the battle raged around us. "Please…" He whispered. "You… have to defeat… the Boss, for… everyone… here…" with a final wince, he glowed, then… his outline blurred, and shattered. Diabel… was gone…

Everyone froze, watching the shards of our leader float away, and Illfang roared, batting another fighter away. Kirito turned, and Asuna and I flanked him. "We'll go too!" he nodded. "We'll hit him just like we did the minions!" charging forward, we rushed the Boss, who's nodachi sword lit up. Kirito ignited his Skill, then blocked Illfang's cut, knocking him off-balance. Asuna rushed in. "Switch!" she called, then Illfang's eye glinted. "Asuna! Look out!" I screamed, and she moved, just as Illfang swung his brutal sword down on her.

I'd given her enough time, and her cloak was the only thing damaged. I watched as her long, strawberry-blonde hair flying, Asuna slammed her rapier into Illfang's gut, knocking him back.

For a minute, I watched Asuna and Kirito battle Illfang, until the Boss' blade ducked under my master's, cutting him from right stomach to left shoulder, bowling him into Asuna and knocking her over. As Illfang's shadow fell on them, he drove his sword down. Agil and the remaining players blocked, forcing the Boss back, covering us.

As Kirito recovered, Illfang slammed the players back, leaping up, spinning in the air, his nodachi streaming blue light. Kirito's sword glowed, and he leapt. I used Kibaou's back as an air hop, bouncing into the sky as I slashed at the same moment Kirito did, our blades as one, deflecting Illfang's descent so he wouldn't hit our allies. Somehow, he was still alive, so Asuna joined us in a final, furious charge, the two of us blocking the Kobold Lord's attack, giving Master Kirito time to carve a fatal blow into the beast. The force lifted Illfang, light pouring from his wounds, as he shattered, giving us the victory.

Everyone started cheering, celebrating the Col we'd earned and our survival. Kirito knelt where he'd finished his kill, panting as he looked at a small box. It said, 'congratulation. You got the last attacking bonus!'

Agil came over. "That was some fine sword skill. Today's victory is all thanks to you!" everyone clapped and whooped, saluting my master, until Kibaou, tears streaming down his face, shouted, "STOP CHEERING!" everyone looked at him. "You knew the technique the Boss was gonna use! Why didn't you say something?! Then Diabel would've stood a chance!" another player joined Kibaou. "That's right! He must be a Beta Tester! He knew the Boss' attack patterns, but he kept it from us!"

Just as everyone glared at each other, wondering who else was a Beta Tester, Kirito… started laughing, evilly. "Beta Tester? Don't put me in the same class… as those noobs! During the Beta, most of the thousand people who scored a slot in SAO's Beta were so green, they didn't even know how to level up. Even you guys are better than they were." He started walking towards Kibaou, boasting, "During the Beta, I made it to Floors that were higher than any other Beta! That's a fact! I knew about the Boss, because I've fought monsters with way more sword Skills on way higher Floors!" his eyes grew dark. "I know a bunch more stuff that you don't, too. I know more than any Info Broker!"

Kibaou glared. "If that's true, then you're worse than a Beta Tester! You're a goddamned cheater!" Everyone yelled in agreement. "He's a Beta Tester AND a cheater! He's a Beater!"

Kirito's dark aura grew even colder. "A Beater, huh? That's good. I like it!" as he opened his Menu, he hovered his finger over a new Item. "You can call me a Beater. Just don't confuse me with those Beta Testers anymore." He selected the Item, and a long black Trench coat appeared, covering his armour. His sword, sheathed across his back, appeared over it. He started walking towards the end of the room, where the Boss had been sitting, with me following close behind. Asuna ran after us as we neared the end.

"Wait! Earlier, when we fought the Boss, you called me by my name." Kirito asked, "Did I mess up the pronunciation? Sorry if I was rude." She shook her head. "Now, how did you even know it?!" he told her about the names in the corner, and she frowned, and then burst out laughing. "Wow, I am so dumb! It was there the whole time and I never even knew!"

He turned back to the doors. "You can become strong here on your own. But if the day comes when someone you trust invites you to join a guild, don't turn it down. There are limits to what a Solo player can achieve." She blinked. "But-!" Kirito dissolved the party, and I winced as I saw his and Asuna's names vanish from the corner of my eye. I still followed him, out of the doors, and away…..


	3. Chapter 3

Sword Art Online: A Maiden's Voyage

_Dear journal,_

_It's been a while since I last wrote, but Master Kirito and I have been so busy moving from one floor to another, that I haven't had time to write! I've gotten stronger, and it's making my chances of survival better… tonight, we've joined a guild! Oh, gotta go!_

I put down my journal and picked up my metal wine cup. Raising it, I clanged it together with the others, calling, "cheers!" Kirito looked a bit awkward, but I was enjoying myself. Keita, Tetsuo, Sachi, Sasamaru and Ducker. I giggle as they toast him again. He looked sooooo out of place, heeheehee! As he sat back down, Keita, the leader, leaned in and whispered, "Kirito, sir, I was just wondering…. What level you're at?" Kirito looked a little down and aside. "Twenty…" he said. I blinked. Kirito was twice that, why would he lie?

Keita declared, "You're an inspiration to us all, sir!" Kirito shook his head. "I'm not your superior, Keita. And being a solo player, means I'm always hunting monsters out in the boonies. It's not very efficient." Keita started, "Well, in that case, we'd love to have you and your friend in our guild! Tetsuo is our mace wielder, and the only one we can put out front! And then, we've got Sachi here." He started patting the head of the blue-haired girl.

"I was thinking of having her switch to sword and shield, but she says she doesn't know if she can do it. If you join our guild, maybe you can teach her a thing or two!" She looked embarrassed. "Oh, come on, I'm not that useless! You can't just stick me out front and expect me to know what to do!" Keita continued, "Just hide behind your shield!" Sasamaru butted in, "Ever since she was little, Sachi's always been a scaredy-cat!" the whole guild started chuckling. Kirito gulped. "I'm really flattered, and thanks for the offer… we'll do it!"

A week later, Kirito and I were with the Moonlit Black Cats on Floor 20, Sunlit Forest, watching them tackle a Killer Mantis. Sasamaru was jabbing his spear at it, and it hissed madly. As we watched, the Mantis lashed its forearm blade at Sachi, striking her shield. Kirito jumped in and cut its arm off. "Come on, Tetsuo! Switch out!" the macer dashed in, purple light coating his mace. "On it!" he slammed it into the monster's side, and it shattered. Later that night, Keita announced, "After our latest hunt, we have 200,000 Col!" Sasamaru added, "Buying a house doesn't seem like a pipe-dream anymore!" that night, I slept well, never noticing Kirito leave.

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While I slept, Sachi slipped off, and I was woken by Tetsuo. "Hey, Lettie! Can you go and look for Sachi? We'll head to the dungeons, so look around town, please?" I nod, pulling on my armour. I closed my eyes, and visualised Sachi, where she'd gone. My Trace ability showed her trail, and I followed it. Soon, I tracked her down under a bridge. Hugging her, I let her tell me about her fears, and the hope she wouldn't let us down, and that she didn't want to die. I showed her my journal entries, and confessed that I felt the same crushing fear that I'd die, and no-one would remember me, or care. Soon, I helped her up and led her back to the inn where we roomed. Tucking her back in, I kissed her forehead, climbed in next to her, and held her for the rest of the night…


	4. Chapter 4

Sword Art Online: A Maiden's Voyage

L.T: sorry it's taken so long, but I'm finally able to get a chapter out! This one is gonna be epic! I'm going to skip ahead a little in the series, so don't worry if you think I've gone cuckoo! JA NE!

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FIFTY-NINTH FLOOR

'_It's been several months since I got trapped in SAO, and I've spent it all with Master Kirito. I'm a level 46 now, but I still get that shiver of fear every time I leave a safe zone, especially on the higher floors. We were stupid to join the Moonlit Black Cats… they're all…. Gone…. I don't want to write about it… Anyway, since we last saw Asuna, she's joined the Knights of the Blood Oath, but made it to Second-in Command! We met up with her and let her take a nap. To repay us, she bought us dinner. Gotta go!'_

I put my journal away, the quill and ink vanishing as I adjusted my amour. It felt strange to wear this stuff, the new plate and chainmail lighter than full heavy armour, but stronger than my old leather. My sword was different too. I was using a Karakurenai, a semi-rare katana. Asuna raised an eyebrow. "You're still partied up with Kirito, huh? And you're quite strong." I blushed a little and swigged at my ale. Kirito nursed his own tankard and chatted with the older girl.

Suddenly, a loud, piercing scream made me drop my drink. Kirito grabbed my hand and Asuna followed us as we ran to the plaza. There were crowds of players there, all looking up. I raised my eyes, and froze. An armoured male was hanging from a balcony, a rope round his chest. A strange weapon protruded from his front. "Pull it out! Come on, man!" someone shouted. The boy tried, clearly suffering. I watched in horror as Asuna and Kirito worked to save him, but he dissolved before they could. The red metal blade fell, slicing into solid stone paving. I stepped over and picked it up. After a short call to look for a duel winner, we gave up trying to find the PKer. A girl named Yolko told us that the dead man was named Caynz, and was a former guildmate of hers.

I handed it to Master Kirito, and he sighed. "I can't appraise this… but I know someone who can…"

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FIFTIETH FLOOR

Master Kirito led the way to a shop. A familiar tall black man was running it. "Hey, Agil!" the man turned. "Kirito! Still runnin' around causing trouble, I see! And you got Collette with you!" I waved at the friendly conman, and then Asuna barged in. Agil's eyes widened and he pulled Kirito into a whispered talk for a minute.

I looked at Asuna, and then back at the boys. After a few more minutes, Agil agreed to appraise the strange weapon.

"It's a spear, called… Guilty Thorn. I can't tell you much more, but it was made by a player…" I gasped and looked at Asuna and Kirito. They were as shocked as I was. "His name…. is Grimlock." Agil said. "That's all I can tell you."

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FIFTY-NINTH FLOOR AGAIN

Yolko told us everything. The agility+20 ring. The vote. Griselda's death. Grimlock. She'd been in a guild called Golden Apple. They'd obtained a rare ring, and argued over what to do with it. Five voted to sell. Three to keep. Caynz had voted to keep it, as had Yolko and Schmitt. Griselda had gone to sell it, but had been murdered and the ring lost. Grimlock had gone missing, and the guild disbanded. Now Caynz was dead.

When we brought Schmitt to Yolko's room at the Yamathya lodge, he blamed that ring for all of this. Yolko agreed, that if they'd left the ring, none of this would have happened. When she went to stand by the open window, her back to it, she started to say something, then…

Thock.

All the colour drained from her face, her freckles standing out even more stark against her pale skin. She half-turned and we saw the handle of a throwing knife sticking out of her back. She tottered, and fell, crumpling below the window, and fizzing out of existence. I shivered in fear as I spotted a hooded, robed figure standing in easy range on a rooftop. They turned and ran after a moment.

"There!" I shouted, and Kirito ran out of the front door, hard in pursuit. I kept Schmitt under control, with Asuna helping. A few minutes later, Kirito returned, carrying the knife that had hit Yolko, the blade almost a miniature of the Guilty Thorn. "Grimlock made that too?" I asked, already knowing it had been him.

Schmitt kept babbling about Griselda's ghost hunting him down for revenge, and we decided to let him be. Whoever had killed Yolko, they wouldn't be back so soon. We all needed sleep. Asuna told us she would stay in the Yamathya lodge, while Kirito and I returned to our own inn. Neither of us slept well that night, not after what we'd seen…


End file.
